First Person

Members of the 1936 U.S. Olympic Rowing team depicted in the movie “The Boys in the Boat” were able to accomplish far more than anyone expected because they discovered what can happen when you work together in perfect unity. There is something that happens when rowers are in perfect rhythm and sync with one another. It is called “swing.”

I was speaking at a Texas evangelism event years ago when a young man approached me in the hall to ask if we could have a conversation. We found a quiet place, sat down, and he began telling me his story. He was a church planter, several years into a new church plant that blossomed from its earliest days and was going very well.

I had an interesting experience a few days ago while eating at a Mexican restaurant with a KBC pastor in one of our Kentucky counties.  

Whenever I’m preaching and I need to make a point about the beauty of the Church in action, I often refer to the image of God’s people with arms outstretched running toward places of deepest pain and suffering — being first on the scene after a disaster, bringing hope and healing through physical and tangible expressions of love in times of darkness. This is the Church at her best, when we share and show the love of Jesus.

At Send Network, we’re driven by one mission: helping churches plant churches everywhere for everyone. It’s not just what we do—it’s who we are. Together, as a family of churches, we’re joining God in His redemptive work to expand His kingdom in North America and the nations.

For Muslims around the world, the annual observance of Ramadan will begin the evening of Feb. 28 and last through March. During the month, the International Mission Board is asking Southern Baptists to commit to pray for the salvation of Muslims and for missionaries who live and serve among them.

On Wednesday (Feb. 5), President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order mandating the end of biological men participating in women’s sports. The order, entitled, “Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports,” reads in part:

None of us likes to confess our sin to another believer. Instead, we too often choose to hide in our sin. Ultimately, God is the one who forgives us, but here are reasons we must prayerfully consider confessing our wrong to another brother or sister in Christ:

Alcoholism has its claws wrapped tightly around the souls of the small town I grew up in, here in the Amazon region of South America.

In his new book Negative World, Aaron Renn chronicles the changing cultural posture toward Christianity over the last 60 years. Positive World functioned from 1964-1994, such that the church was seen as a good thing for society. Neutral World existed from 1994-2014 and was characterized by a more tolerant posture. It was one of many voices in our pluralistic society and was neither good nor bad.